What Happened
New insights on date palm evolution using 2,100-year old leaf found in ancient Egyptian temple
September 2021Using a leaf uncovered from the archaeological site of an ancient Egyptian temple, researchers from Puruggan Lab have successfully determined the ancient hybrid origin of some date palms, which could prove useful for modern date palm breeding as the plant remains a cornerstone of Middle Eastern and North African agriculture.
Researchers Sequence the Genome of Extinct Date Palms Germinated From 2,000 Year-old Seeds
May 2021Researchers from Purugganan Lab have successfully sequenced the genome of previously extinct date palm varieties that lived more than 2,000 years ago.
Professor Michael Purugganan was honored by TOFA as a leading authority on plant molecular evolution and genomics
November 2020In celebration of International Men’s Day 2020, The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA) Awards honors 10 remarkable Filipino Americans who are role models in the United States and around the world.
India gave China new rice variety 2000 years ago
July 2020Who cultivated rice first? Indians, Chinese, Japanese or Egyptians?
Evolution of rice linked to climate change
May 2020A major global cooling event that occurred 4,200 years ago may have led to the evolution of new rice varieties and the spread of rice into both northern and southern Asia.
The Genetic Blueprint Of Basmati Rice Can Help Us Grow Stronger Rice Varieties
February 2020Using an innovative genome sequencing technology, Michael Purugganan' researchers assembled the complete genetic blueprint of two basmati rice varieties, including one that is drought-tolerant and resistant to bacterial disease.
Vitamin A-Rich Rice Developed to Cure Blindness
December 2019“Golden Rice” has been approved by the Philippine government for direct use and food and feed. The new strain is intended to protect up to 200 million people from irreversible blindness due to vitamin A deficiency.
NYU Abu Dhabi researchers release a new genome sequence of the date palm
October 2019Michael Purugganan's team in partnership with other researchers have developed an improved assembly of the genome for the date palm using long-read sequencing technology. This improvement over the current versions of the genome will help advance further research, and also inform the propagation practices of this essential MENA region food source.
Plant studies show where Africa’s early farmers tamed some of the continent’s key crops
May 2019Wheat and other plants that feed much of the world today were likely first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. However, plant genomic studies are showing another early cradle of agriculture lay thousands of kilometers away, around West Africa's Niger River Basin.
North African date palm is a hybrid from the Middle East and Crete
January 2019Using genomic data, Michael Purugganan' team and other researchers unlock history of North African date palm
Finding a lost strain of rice, and clues to slave cooking
February 2018Among the biologists, geneticists and historians so much remains unknown about how millions of enslaved Africans used rice in their kitchens and how it came to these kitchens.
Michael Purugganan's team and other scientists traced new link between rice crop movement and the slave trade in Africa
October 2016A team of various researchers has traced a type of rice grown in the South American country of Suriname to a similar type found in the fields of Ivory Coast, revealing additional linkages between “New World” and “Old World” crops that likely resulted from the slave trade.
Purugganan's team will look into rice that can tolerate salty conditions
August 2016Michael Purugganan and Richard Bonnaeu, both part of NYU’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology will head the study for the response of rice in saline soil conditions.
Scientists examine ancient grains of rice and are surprised by what they find
July 2016Scientists sequenced the DNA of ancient grains of rice from Japan and the Korean peninsula in search of clues into the mysterious history of the staple food.
Gene sequencing unveils the secrets and history of date palms
November 2015Purugganan' team has found the genetic mutation responsible for the red or yellow colour of the sugary date fruit and linked date palms with their distant cousin the oil palm, separated by 60 million years of evolution.
Three Origins for Rice?
November 2015A new study suggests rice was domesticated three separate times across Asia. However, the question of the domestication history of rice remains open, with different approaches reaching different conclusions.
Professor Michael Purugganan awarded by Khalifa International Date Palm Awards
March 2015Professor Michael Purugganan won first place in the distinguished research category of Khalifa International Date Palm Awards
How tech and data help us understand species better
February 2015Professor Michael Purugganan talks about mapping genes and genomes and shares insights about evolution and how it helps us understand the world.
Why spend money on science?
July 2014Professor Michael Purugganan shares his opinion about spending money on science research.
Researchers discover plant without chloroplasts
March 2014Michael Purugganan and Long Island University professor Jeanmaire Molina found that Rafflesia, a parasitic genus of plants endemic to southeast Asia, has most likely lost its chloroplast genome.
Golden Rice: Lifesaver?
August 2013Golden Rice is being developed by the International Rice Research Institute with the aim of providing a new source of vitamin A for people where rice is eaten every day, since the lack of this vital nutrient causes blindness in a quarter-million to a half-million children each year.
Who's afraid of the GMO eggplant?
May 2013Professor Michael Purugganan shares his opinion about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), and specifically about Bt talong, a GMO modified eggplant.
Who is the Filipino?
Jan - August 2013Professor Michael Purugganan is calling on the government, private sector and Filipino scientists to embark on the Philippines’ own genome project to determine where the Filipino comes from.
Rice’s origins point to China
May 2011Professor Michael Purugganan and a team of genome researchers has concluded rice was originated in China, in a study tracing back thousands of years of evolutionary history through large-scale gene re-sequencing.
Genetic Flower Power
November 2007Studying wild mustard weed may uncover the way the environment and genetics interact during a crucial moment in the life of a plant.
